When we started the Stress Test personal finance podcast in the spring of 2020, we thought we had the perfect name. I mean, how much more stress could there be than a global pandemic and global lockdowns that stopped economic growth in its tracks? We are about to find out. Between inflation, rising interest rates, … Read more
Between crowded airports and rising prices, travelers have plenty of aggravation to contend with this summer. Here’s a way to lighten the load if your travel takes you outside Canada: Get a travel reward credit that does not charge the usual 2.5 per cent fee on purchases in foreign currency. With inflation running at 7.7 … Read more
A story on the Globe website caught my eye this week because it may signal the beginning of a consumer backlash against soaring living costs. The movie theater chain Cineplex CGX-T announced a $1.50 booking fee for ticket purchases made online and through its mobile app. This goes against all the rules of online economics, … Read more
Financial companies rarely star in those surreys where people are asked to rate the corporations they trust most. Tim Hortons topped a recent survey of Canadians, Band-Aid led in the United States, Toyota in Japan, Google in India and Samsung in South Korea. A pair of payment apps, PayPal and Alipay, were tops in German … Read more
I asked newsletter readers last week for their thoughts on shrinkflation and, guess what, no one likes it. Virtually everyone said they would rather that companies charge more for products rather than shrinking the size of packaging and keep prices in line. How much do people dislike shrinkflation? Enough to send me a lot of … Read more
The spectacle of young people excited about personal finance is playing 24 hours a day on the social media platform TikTok. The TikTok format is short videos in which young people sing, dance and talk to each other about pretty much anything, money and investing included. The money-themed videos mirror the broader world of personal … Read more